Mobile County offers some of the nation’s best workforce training programs, AIDT, Alabama’s workforce training organization recruits, screens and trains employees for company start ups or expanding work forces. AIDT currently operates the Alabama Aviation Training Center at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley and the Maritime Training Center near the Mobile River.

Collaboration between the state, education, and local industries have contributed to the establishment of additional training centers such as the Alabama Aviation Center which offers students FAA-certified training in A&P and Avionics; and the Alabama Aerospace Innovation and Research Center, a collaboration between Bishop State Community College students and aerospace industry leaders at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. In 2016, the Alabama Community College System announced the construction of a 25,000 square foot, Advanced Manufacturing Facility to address the workforce needs for middle-skill, high-wage workers in the manufacturing sectors. The new center is scheduled to opened in 2017.

In Alabama, assistance is readily available to help existing industry grow, expand, and connect. We’ve gathered together information on a number of resources organized for your convenience.

Alabama is committed to the promotion and maintenance of a competitive business climate and has developed one of the most aggressive tax incentive programs in the nation for existing, expanding and new industry.

Alabama Saves is an energy revolving loan program for existing industries. The program, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and offered through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), provides extraordinary financing solutions for commercial and industrial energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects in Alabama.

The Small Business Advocacy division of the Alabama Department of Commerce provides small businesses with the knowledge and resources to succeed, from financial assistance to training to regulatory issues.

The Alabama Small Business Development Center Network is a statewide, inter-institutional program to enhance economic growth in Alabama by providing management and technical assistance to small businesses.

The Office of Minority Business Enterprise administers a certification program to identify small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses that are capable of providing goods and/or services to both government and private sectors.

The Alabama Department of Commerce maintains a fee-based, searchable, online Alabama industry directory with data obtained through surveys of Alabama companies and local communities.

The International Trade Division, Alabama Department of Commerce aids export promotion and development, and provides services that help businesses enter new profitable markets. Resources include professional development, trade missions, point-to-point international leads, and more.

Alabama International Trade Center operates as a federal-state partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration, promoting SBA’s export financing programs in Alabama. AITC is also a founding member of the Export Alabama Trade Alliance, statewide export promotion network led by the International Trade Division of the Alabama Department of Commerce. Resources include an on-line Alabama Trade Reference Guide.

The Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) owns and operates the State of Alabama’s public, deep-water port facilities at the Port of Mobile, serving industries with state-of-the-art public seaport terminals for international trade.